More than 7,000 nurses at two hospitals in New York City went on strike early Monday morning demanding better pay, better working conditions and more staffing.
The strike began at 6 a.m. after nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Harlem failed to reach an agreement with hospital administration during a bargaining session Sunday night, according to the New York State Nurses' Association.
"These nurses are dedicated professionals who provide quality patient care under unimaginable conditions day in and day out that were exacerbated by the pandemic," Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, a labor union, said in a statement Monday. "Now they are faced with the added challenge of short staffing that has reached critical levels and could compromise their ability to provide the best quality care to their patients."
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"It is time for the hospitals to treat these nurses fairly, with the dignity and respect they deserve, and to negotiate in good faith, quickly, to ensure nurses can get back to serving their communities by providing superior care to their patients," the statement continued.
Strikes are occurring at three locations in the Bronx and one location in Manhattan and will occur until 7 p.m.
In a statement, Montefiore Medical Center said it offered a 19.1% compounded wage increase and promised to create more than 170 new nursing positions ahead of the strike.
"We remain committed to seamless and compassionate care, recognizing that the union leadership's decision will spark fear and uncertainty across our community," the statement read.
Mount Sinai told ABC News in a statement it also offered a 19.1% increased wage proposal but that nurses rejected the offer.
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"Our first priority is the safety of our patients. We're prepared to minimize disruption, and we encourage Mount
Sinai nurses to continue providing the world-class care they're known for, in spite of NYSNA's strike," Mount Sinai officials said.
Mount Sinai said it was preparing for the strike by "diverting a majority of ambulances," starting "to cancel some elective surgeries ... perform emergency surgery only," "starting to transfer patients" to other hospitals and medical centers, and "working to safely discharge as many patients as appropriate," according to an internal memo obtained by New York ABC station WABC.
Gov. Kathy Hochul called for binding arbitration Sunday night to avert a strike, but union officials did not accept the proposal.